Link
by SabineAmnell
Summary: In British Columbia, a group of scientist are slaughtered by what they created. On Thanksgiving weekend, Mulder and Scully have very little time to find out what and stop it from killing again.
1. Link

Author's note: This is not an extension of my other story. As that one veers off from the MSR that happened in the series, this could actually be a stand-alone episode within the series. It takes place after Fight The Future, where there is plenty of romantic tension. This story is written around a scene I once imagined would be cool for Mulder and Scully and developed from there. I hope you enjoy, please review!

**British Columbia**

**5:01am**

A dark brown five fingered hand wrapped around the bars of a steel cage. It's face was in the dark, as was the rest of it's body. It was not the same it had once been. Something had happened. One minute the only concerns in life were mating and eating and now, he felt things he had never experienced before. He felt an anger at the inferior nature of being held against his will and an emotion far greater than anything. He knew the word, somehow he knew many words. His dark shoulders hunched and his lips curled to reveal sharp teeth. He knew the emotion that needed let out, needed to be freed.

Hate.

The man in the dark coat. He always came. He was hated. He had a way out. Despite its new found intelligence, it still processed information in small bits. He would come near. He had a way out. The man came near. The dark hand shot out into the space between man and beast with incredible speed and wrapped around his throat. I squeeze his throat. He won't breath. I get out.

The man struggled, but superior strength won over and soon, he was limp. The hand reached into a pocket and produced the keys. More will come. I will wait.

The morning staff began to arrive and he waited more. They were all in white. They all sat at tables and stared at things he did not understand. Nothing as strong as me. Nothing as big. I will win. A deafening roar filled the room and the staff reacted, screaming and shouting. He was by the door, however and knew they could not escape.

**7:22am**

The door was now open, blood smeared onto the handle. Littered all over the floor were bodies. Some were torn apart, others were thrown, or beaten. Blood was everywhere and skulls were smashed in. Silence and death filled the air.

**Washington DC**

**Fourty eight hours later**

He heard a moan. It was a woman's voice shouting. "NO!" A man's grunting came into the sound panel and the two voices mingled in keening noises. Agent Fox Mulder stirred on his couch, his muscular arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed in sleep. The cries got louder and his hazel eyes finally opened. His head lulled toward the television where a pornographic movie had been playing. Despite the loss of interest, he had put it on by habit and fallen asleep the night before. Grabbing the remote, he pushed a button and the television flicked off.

Mulder glanced at his watch, worried for a moment that he may have to leap up and get ready for work. No, it was Thursday, Thanksgiving day. Scully had invited him to join her family, but Mulder felt that Bill Scully, her brother, may not appreciate it. Scoffing at the memories of non-holiday holidays, he closed his eyes to go back to sleep. A knock at his door is what made him leap up and he called, out, "Yeah, I'm coming." when the impatient knock came again.

He opened the door to reveal Marita Covarrubias, the tall blonde informant that had helped him ever since X had been killed.

"Agent Mulder." She said, inviting herself inside, "I have something for you." She handed him a file and began to talk so rapidly that he opened the file quickly to keep up. He was faced with photos of a laboratory of some sort. Several bodies were scattered all of the floor in horror film gore. His brow drew together as he began to read and listen to Marita at the same time.

"A Doctor Scholfield was working with the United States Government in genetics in a laboratory in Canada to develop superior humans. This work has been largely ignored as only animals have been used in these tests with few results. However, this incident has come to the attention of the Secretary General."

"What happened here?" Mulder asked.

"No one knows yet, but I believe it's bigger than everyone is pretending. Whatever it is, whatever did that, was nowhere to be found. An investigation will be under way after the holiday weekend. The Secretary General would hardly want to miss his family turkey." She gave him a small smile, telling him how much time he had.


	2. In or Out

"Dana, it's for you." Maggie Scully handed her the daughter the phone. Dana Scully glanced up from the conversation she was having with her brother and nodded. Flashing Bill Scully a smile, she rose from the table and took the phone from her mother, "Hello?"

"Scully?"

"Mulder?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry to interrupt your holiday, but I've just been given something big and I need your help. Can you come to my apartment?"

She sighed, brushing back a strand of red hair and glancing into the dining room where several glances were being thrown her way, "Mulder, it's Thanksgiving Day."

"I know, and I wouldn't have called if it wasn't important. Eight people are dead in British Columbia and they have yet to find out what killed them. Just take a look at this file and, if you decided not to go with me, I'll understand." He promised.

That's how he always drew her in; he would go without her, put himself in danger or discover a piece of the puzzle and the difference between life and death, success and failure just might lay with her knowledge and her having his back. That's why he asked for her now and that's why she would meet him, "Alright, I'll be right there." After recent events that led to her being infected with a virus and taken to Antarctica and Mulder coming after her, it was more difficult than ever to deny him. They had solidified their partnership, and renewed their loyalties to the X-Files and to one another. It was impossible to make her family understand all of this however. She could never truly explain what she had been through with Mulder nor make them believe the incredible events surrounding the two agents, so she lied.

"Mom, I've been called into work." She said, her voice low as her mother came into the kitchen.

"Oh no, what happened, Dana?"

"It's a homicide case. Please let everyone know that I had to go." She said.

"Why don't you let everyone know?" Bill said, walking in as well, having overheard.

"Because I have to go." She told him, slight defense in her voice.

"Is this a Mulder summons?" He asked, slight accusation in his voice in return.

"That was Mulder, yes." She said carefully, "There is a homicide case that he and I have been called to look into it."

"Will you be back today?" He asked, his eyes narrowed.

She took a beat before answering, knowing damn well that she wouldn't be back all weekend probably if she decided to go with Mulder, "I don't know."

* * *

Scully only knocked on Mulder's door twice before it flew open, "Come on in. I'm sorry about your holiday, Scully, really." In fact he was, but he couldn't help but be a little smug that she had chosen him over what must have been a disappointed and pushy Bill Jr. She walked inside toward his living room.

"It's alright. This had better be good, however." She arched an auburn eyebrow at him as she turned.

"Government Genetics laboratory working on making a superior human in secret. Apparently, the most recent developments have been in intelligence." He handed her the first photograph where the dead scientists in scrubs lay dead on the floor. It was gory and eye catching.

"Oh my God," Scully breathed, "What happened?"

"It appears to be an animal attack. These doors-" He handed her another photo, "-are supposed to have been locked so that nothing could escape. There were several animals kept in the laboratory including dogs, apes, monkeys, and cats, but none could have conceivably left the building."

She looked up at him after studying the photos, "I've got a biologist and a geneticist interested in going." Mulder told her, "Are you in?" There it was, she thought, that familiar twinkle in his eye when he felt that he was on to something. They both knew she was in.


	3. Firelight

Several hours later, they were landing in a small airport in British Columbia accompanied by a Genetics Specialist and a Biologist by the names of Sebastian Grant and James DiNozzi. Grant was tall and blonde, slim and muscular and he didn't seem to know that he was attractive. His brown eyes were large and expressive and his deep voice perfectly fit him. DiNozzi was shorter and balding, the very picture of what might see as a science nerd. His dark brown hair was perfectly in place, while his larger than average nose gave his face character.

In the FBI, it was not unusual for Scully to feel as if she were swimming in testosterone, but under the circumstances, it was uncomfortable today. Both men were very eager to please and Mulder had seen instantly that they were taken with his partner. He couldn't blame them, really. Her blue eyes were striking against her porcelain face, perfectly complementing her ruby lips. He knew quite well how popular her hair color was among hot blooded men as well and Mulder watched, amused by Scully's discomfort. She was hardly used to such attentions as the two men had listened to her theory of what could have happened with unabashed admiration.

Her feminine voice reverberated with confidence and, Mulder thought, sensuality. He finally tuned in to what she was saying, shaking himself from admiring her as well.

"I think this was one of the scientists who made it to look like an animal attack." She finalized, after having gone through the photos with Grant and DiNozzi.

"Yes, there are no claw marks." Grant observed with DiNozzi nodding. Mulder smirked, Scully was not used to people agreeing with her so readily. He swooped in for the challenge, "Maybe not, but there were bite marks according to the autopsy reports. Not human."

"The doors were left open, any animal may have gotten in afterwards, or perhaps a captive one escaped." Grant suggested.

"Some of these men, weighing almost two hundred pounds were flung across the room, look at the picture." He pointed at an indent in the wall and a dead man beneath it, showing no other injuries.

"Agent Mulder, no animals that can fling a man with that kind of force comes to mind either. Odds are this is simply a strong man." DiNozzi put in.

Scully's eyes glowed mischievous at Mulder. He was finally getting ganged up on but in a completely professional way. No one was calling him paranoid or foolish, but they were taking in his ideas and giving back the very same observations she might have pointed out. There were three of her questioning Mulder and she basked in it for a moment. In spite of her enjoyment, she decided to rescue Mulder, "We'll know more about it when we get there. It's difficult to tell much from photographs." She suggested, making everyone relax a little.

Mulder gave her a small private smile, thanking her. Her blue eyes took it in and returned it. She loved that smile and Thanksgiving dinner was soon a distant memory, regrets flowing away like water. Exiting the plane and airport, they were met up with two woods guides who promised to take them out and bring them back to the site Mulder had specified without alerting authorities.

"This is Viste, I'm Bennett." The taller of the two said and everyone was quickly introduced. Both Viste and Bennett looked incredibly alike and very well dressed for woods guides, Scully noted, but said nothing, "We only have about an hour of daylight left, so I'm suggesting we tuck in for the night and start early tomorrow. Bathrooms are that way," He said pointing to a wooden structure, "Showers are in there too. Cabins are over here. There are two. I apologize; I didn't realize you'd have a lady with you. Ours is the smallest cabin, but there is hardly room for all of us in the bigger one. Ma'm, I hope you can sacrifice privacy for the night."

Scully nodded, "That's fine." She said agreeably, as they made their way to the cabins, "I will be fine with Mulder, Grant and DiNozzi."

"As long as no one gets fresh." Mulder said, directing it at Grant and DiNozzi, who looked absolutely horrified by the suggestion.

"Agent Scully, I would never-" Scully cut Grant off, her palm raised toward him in a gesture of peace.

"Agent Mulder was joking." She told him, which seemed to make him breathe easier. DiNozzi, who was holding his breath, finally let it out.

"Just as long as you know that we plan to be perfect gentlemen." DiNozzi assured her.

"There was never a doubt in my mind." She answered, good naturedly, calming the two scientists further. Mulder continued on, a self-satisfied grin on his face that he stirred up the well hidden chivalry in the two science geeks who probably hadn't had a date since high school, if then. As if he could talk, he thought, erasing the grin.

All of their gear was unceremoniously dropped to the floor and Scully opted to shower. Taking a change of clothes to sleep in, she headed toward the wooded building that had been labeled by Bennett as the bathrooms. She stopped short, once inside. There were signs leading her to the left or right, but both were not in English. She was about to guess and choose when a voice sounded behind her.

"That's the language of the aboriginal people who were here before European settlers. They are often wrongly called 'Indians'." It was Viste, who had not spoken when they met. His voice was low and meaningful, "This is a camp for tourists, but the season is long over." He explained.

Scully was running out of patience, "What do they say?" She asked.

"Men." He pointed left, "Women." He pointed right and Scully almost scoffed at the dramatic speech leading up to it.

"Thank you." Scully said, before veering to the right. The shower room was warm, unlike the windy chill outside and she didn't even mind that the stalls were only wooden planks fastened to the dirty floor while a water spout jutted into it from the wall. When she was done, slicking her wet hair back, she made her way back to the cabin. A fire was going and Mulder was putting together a few sandwiches, "Hungry?" He asked when he saw her.

She nodded, "Whatever you're having is fine." The sleeping bags had already been set out and she sat near the fire, drying out her hair with the heat. The cabin was small, she mused, but comfortable. Grant and DiNozzi gave her full rights to the best spot near the cozy flames and she didn't complain about their manners. Toward the end of the night, she found that she had become fond of their two tagalongs. They all ate sandwiches and did not talk about the case as much as she might have guessed. They asked about a few cases that she and Mulder had worked on and added their own insights, which usually looked at Scully's side of things. This became a joke among them, three against one, as Mulder continued to remain the believer. One by one, they had all drifted off to sleep, their minds falling onto the task at hand as they halted all talk. Mulder watched the firelight dance on Scully's porcelain face and red hair once everyone else was asleep. He felt a mix of guilty and grateful that she was here with him, following him on another crazy trip into the unknown. Pulling his sleeping bag over his shoulder, he too, fell asleep.


	4. Arriving

Scully had pinned her hair behind her ears, but decided against putting it up. It just seemed more in the way with the little wisps flying everywhere that refused to be held by any hairband. They all emerged wearing thick coats, boots, and gear, "How long is the hike out there?" Scully asked as Viste joined them, his own outfit seemingly less fit for the trek.

"Less than a day. We should be there by afternoon. We have made sure we have enough for two days in case you need to remain for a while." He said, his deep voice as dramatic as she had remembered.

Mulder joined Scully and gave her a small appreciative smile, still held up by the guilt he felt from taking her away from her family. He promised himself to leave her alone this Christmas.

"Good morning, Agents." It was DiNozzi, bright eyed and bushy tailed and walking quickly. Grant was right behind him, seemingly moodier at the prospect of the hike in the cold weather.

"I hope you have your mittens, Grant," Mulder said, smiling.

"How do you know Agent Mulder, DiNozzi?" Scully asked, instantly wiping the smile off of his face. She thought she detected nerves from him, but he chose his words carefully, "Mulder knows a lot of scientists and asks us a lot of bizarre questions about the things he's seen. I actually know him through the Lone Gunman." He swallowed, "They talk a lot about the two of you." His eyes grew wide as if horrified by what he had said, "I apologize, I hope that didn't make you uncomfortable."

"Don't worry about it, DiNozzi," Mulder chimed in as their guides arrived, "We both know that the Lone Gunman live vicariously through Agent Scully and myself.

"Except that they say you're not taking advantage of having what they don't." Grant's voice was unexpected, but he flashed a small smile at Mulder.

"What's that suppos-" Mulder began, but was interrupted by Bennett.

"Try watching the ground as we walk, it will keep you from tripping and it will keep you from getting a headache." He advised, "It's about a five hour hike since we can't drive vehicles through this terrain. We will stop for lunch, but please holler if you need to rest. We need to walk in a straight line, and everyone needs to watch the people ahead of and behind them. If you get lost, stay put and shout. Do not move and try and find us, we will find you." He swooped his arm, "Line up, let's go." Without waiting for them, he began to walk, with Viste by his side.

"Mulder, who are these two?" Scully asked, finally.

"They are guides arranged by my contact." He answered, "I was assured they were trustworthy."

Scully nodded, but was not sure, she had an odd feeling about their two guides.

* * *

It was mid-afternoon and they had not stopped or arrived at their destination. By Scully's calculations, it must be nearing four hours since they departed the camp. She was still going strong, however, but couldn't say the same for DiNozzi. She couldn't blame him, they were all hungry and foot sore, but Scully would never have admitted this aloud. It was too typical and too expected for the woman to break down first and she refused. It was almost as if Viste and Bennett were testing them to see who might ask to stop first.

To her surprise, it was Mulder, "Bennett!" The line of people stopped, panting, "How close are we?"

"A couple more hours." Bennett answered and Scully's eyes narrowed, "Do we need to stop?" Bennett continued.

"I think we could use a water break anyway." Mulder conceded.

Viste pulled a thermos out of his pack and set it in front of the group that was now in a circle, "This is tea. It's potent with caffeine and will help you along. It will also hydrate you." He handed everyone a cup, but Mulder put out his palm, "I'm good with just water. Caffeine makes me jittery."

Viste looked disappointed, but simply nodded and handed Mulder a bottled water and a packed sandwich. Grant sipped his cup of tea and nodded approvingly, "It's pretty good." With that, everyone found a stump or rock and began eating. Scully and DiNozzi also drained cups of tea.

"He's right, I already feel more awake." DiNozzi commented to Scully shyly.

* * *

It was late afternoon before they finally reached their destination and Scully judged that it took more like seven hours to reach it. While everyone else took a step back after seeing the very well hidden laboratory building, Mulder plowed right through the closed door, followed closely by Scully. The sickening sweet smell of decay made them both pause and put their sleeves over their mouths. Still they continued on and it was several minutes before Scully could hear anyone following them.

It was easy to follow the wreckage inside to the scene and the two agents exchanged glances before entering. The photos had not done it justice. But, by now, the scene was growing putrid and Scully was suddenly thankful for the cold air. In heat, this would have been much more unbearable.

Scully could feel a presence behind her and turned to see Grant, "Geeze." Was all he said.

* * *

Guns drawn, Mulder and Scully went to secure the rest of the compound while Grant and DiNozzi worked on the bodies. They found little else amiss, but most of the animal cages were empty. Not just empty, but the bars were bent and torn away from the cage. Scully swallowed as they both stood near the fetid and broken cage.

"Can you tell what was going on here?" Mulder wanted to know.

"I have asked DiNozzi to gather anything that he found to try and figure out what kind of research they were doing." Scully told him, "I plan on helping him as soon as we're done here."

"I bet he'd like that." Mulder said with a smile.

Scully looked at the ground, hiding her own smile when a large brown flash snapped their attention to the right. Their guns raised, they exchanged a look, "What the hell was that?" Scully whispered.

Mulder's head shook and he crept forward, Scully was right behind him, her eyes searching the space. It was a medical exam room by the appearance. Several stainless steel tables were evenly spaced and lined the whole room. It was too dark to see far and she trusted Mulder's eyes to be a look out for both of them long enough to find a light switch. She flicked it on and the mass of brown fur lunged at them. They split apart instinctively dodging to the right and left. The creature sped past them and skidded out the door back into the darkened hall. It appeared as if it turned to renew its attack and Scully fired her gun at the shadowed creature. It must have rethought the attack and turned to flee.

Breathing hard, Scully turned back to Mulder who was hunched against the wall, his breathing labored, "Mulder, you okay?" She asked, urgently, her attention going from him toward the retreating beast and back again. She couldn't tell, but it appeared to be tall and on two feet.

"Yeah," Mulder gasped, "It just knocked me in the chest." He gave a small cough, but seemed to be coming out of his pain, "Did you see it?" He pushed himself off the wall, his left hand at his chest.

"Not very well," She admitted, "It was too fast. It looked like an ape or a bear."

"Let's get back to the others and let them know." Mulder suggested, standing up straight again, his breathing returning to normal, "At least it headed away from them." He stared into the hall wondering what this creature could be and if it was their culprit.


	5. Watching

"This was definitely an animal attack." DiNozzi concluded, "But it's no bear, which is what I thought at first. It seems like it might be simian and I know there were supposed to have been a few apes in the facility."

Mulder nodded, "Sounds like what we saw and what did this might be one in the same."

"It was awfully large to be an ape, Mulder, but I can't figure out what else it could be." Scully admitted.

"Bigfoot?" Mulder suggested, his eyes twinkling in mischief and discovery.

Scully gave him a patient look, "Whatever it is, it's dangerous and we should be more prepared than we are. We shouldn't stay out here with as little equipment and protection as we have."

"Then we better get gathering what we can and be gone in the morning." Grant suggested.

* * *

Mulder was standing guard on the room where Scully, Grant, and DiNozzi were gathering samples from the many vials, dishes, and slides in the room labeled 'Research, Authorized Access Only". Ever since the encounter with the strange large and aggressive creature, everyone was on full alert and high strung. Grant was particularly snappish whenever spoken to and everyone instinctively left him alone. He also complained of a headache.

It was getting dark when it became obvious that they needed to try and settle in for the night. It had been obvious that they would never have made it back before dark, and Mulder was unwilling to leave empty handed.

"If we build a fire, animals will stay away." Viste commented as they all emerged from the building tense and paranoid at every noise.

"We should each take turns holding watch," Mulder suggested and everyone seemed to agree, although Bennett grumbled about it.

"You gonna go first then?" Bennett's voice was full of contempt, but Mulder simply pushed it aside. He had bigger things to worry about than a testosterone based argument on who was in charge.

"The sun will be up in six hours, we should hold watch in pairs, two hours each, and then leave at first light." Scully put in, not wanting to be out in these woods for another minute, "Mulder and I, Grant and DiNozzi, and you and Viste." She pointed at Bennett, seeing the tension rising between him and her partner and attempting to back Mulder up. Bennett sneered at Scully, who stared back with an even blue eyed gaze.

"The animal is not likely to attack if we have a fire." Viste interjected, "but we will keep watches if you like." And that was the end of the argument much to Scully's relief.

* * *

Mulder and Scully sat at the edge of camp. The small group set up with mats and a fire which everyone huddled around as if it was their savior. In a way, it was. More tea and more sandwiches had been served and sleep found DiNozzi soon enough. Grant was more thoughtful and sat by the fire, sipping tea. Bennett and Viste had soon fallen asleep as well and, as Scully sipped a cup of tea of her own, she felt safe enough to share her misgivings with Mulder.

"I don't trust them, Mulder." She confessed, her voice in a hushed whisper.

"My contact wouldn't put us in danger," He said instantly, "These guys may be course, but they can be trusted." He sounded certain and Scully let his tone reassure her.

"You mean your contact wouldn't put us in danger unless there was a crazed wild animal out in the middle of nowhere waiting to attack us." She retorted, an auburn eyebrow lifting up to challenge him.

He smiled, "Right." He glanced down at her, "And you wanted to have Thanksgiving dinner instead." He joked.

Scully scoffed, "At least then I would have avoided an angry Bill." Scully returned his look, accusatory but light.

"I have that gift of pissing people off." He offered, feeling the twinge of guilt return.

"Among many gifts, that is one that seems to stand out prominently right now." Scully smiled, finishing her tea. Sighing, she rubbed her temples and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Headache?" He asked.

"Yeah, just started about an hour ago. Stress." She assured him, "I'll be okay in the morning."

"Our watch is about over, why don't you go lie down now?" Mulder offered.

"No, that's alright. Bigfoot would find you much tastier than me and I have to be here to protect you." She said with a smile. Mulder smiled back and they were silent and watchful until Grant and DiNozzi came up to relieve them.

Scully did not fall asleep easily, her head pounded and her nerves wracked. She glanced over at Mulder, who seemed to have his own unease. He suspiciously looked around into the forest, and she knew what he was thinking. Scully shivered, feeling a little feverish, but sleep finally took her.


	6. Bigfoot?

Hoping that she might feel better when she awoke, Scully was unpleasantly met with nausea and a headache upon Mulder's gentle, "Wake up, Scully." Viste had shoved a toe in Mulder's ribs when the sun had risen and was about to do the same to Scully when Mulder stopped him, "I'll wake her up." He had said, his voice dry and irritated in response to the fact that Viste was so callous.

She brushed her hair away from her face and nodded, "I'm up." Turning over, she winced at the rising sun before her eyes adjusted. Peeling off the sleeping bag, she sat up groggily to find that she felt a chill but her skin was covered in a layer of sweat. Great time to be ill, she thought soberly, replacing the sleeping bag with her coat and looking around to see if she was the last one awake.

Mulder was packing his belongings and glanced at her paler than usual face, "You okay, Scully?"

She nodded, "Yeah, just didn't sleep very well." She was glad that he seemed to take this excuse and began to pack as well. She just wanted to go home now, go home to her holiday family gathering and force Mulder to join her. Bill would see then that Mulder's escapades were no threat to her health or safety; they would both return safely with evidence that solved the deaths and Bill would have to admit that it was worthwhile.

Grant and DiNozzi seemed a little off that morning as well, and Scully approached them after packing, "You alright, Grant?" She asked him since he seemed to be the one with the most ailments. Rubbing his temples, moving slowly, and coughing alerted her that maybe they had both gotten into something in the lab.

"Yeah, it's just allergies. I get them a lot." He offered, "I have some antihistamines." He said looking up, "You look like you might be able to use some too." Scully wondered if she was looking into a mirror of what her own face must look like. Grant's was pale and drawn, his lips had lost most of their color and his eyes were dull and tired.

That's when the attack came. Furiously, the trees shook and parted and the huge creature flew at Scully and Grant. Both had the instinct to protect the other and they went down in a tangle of body parts as they tackled one another. Grant took the worst of the impact though and grunted in pain as the animal collided with them. Scully saw flashes of brownish black fur pass by her line of sight, but she was afraid to make sudden movements. She grasped for her gun and pulled it neatly from the holster and pointed it slowly. The creature was moving too fast for her to take aim but thankfully, she heard a shot from elsewhere. Mulder must have reacted and was shooting at their attacker. Unfortunately, once it heard the gunshots, it scurried towards the trees again and was gone as suddenly as it had come.

Breathing hard, she found it difficult to stand, her head was spinning. Footsteps neared and Mulder's hand was offering to help her up. She wanted nothing more than to lie down for a while longer, but that would be admitting weakness and she was not prepared to do that while all these men stood around. If it were just Mulder, it might be different. She grabbed his hand and saw that grant was rising to his feet as well, "What the hell is that thing?" He asked before Scully could.

"Bigfoot." Mulder breathed.


	7. Retreat

Scully hated the position of her argument. Mulder had gotten a better look at what had attacked she and Grant but his claim that it was Bigfoot was ridiculous to the extreme, "Mulder, it was a gorilla that escaped from the laboratory." She had said countless times by now, "Besides, all accounts of Bigfoot are that it's not aggressive, right?" She countered, trying to use his own argument against him.

"Scully, this isn't Harry and the Hendersons, and I know what I saw." His voice had lost patience, "It was not a regular gorilla or ape, it was bigger and…" he thought and chose his words carefully, "Taller."

"Mulder-" She began before he cut her off.

"What do we agree on here? It's dangerous and needs to be stopped before it attacks other people?"

Scully nodded and Mulder put his hand on her arm, "Let's start there, then."

"We don't have the resources or authority." She argued.

"It was headed in the direction of a town." said Viste, pointing, "It will take days to get Mounties up here and if it's as aggressive with people as we think, we need to track it now."

At least that, Scully couldn't argue.

Grant seemed to be having more and more of a difficult time as Viste tracked the animal further into the woods. They stopped once to eat the last of their food and Bennett seemed to notice Grant's visible decline.

"Drink this." He offered a cup of tea to Grant, who took it gratefully. DiNozzi seemed more quiet than usual, but refused the tea. Scully sipped on her own cup while Mulder opted again for water.

"Mulder, Grant is ill. He can't go on." She whispered to her partner, knowing that even as she said so, her own body was showing signs of affliction, "I know this thing is dangerous, but we were not prepared for this."

Mulder searched her eyes and what he found disturbed him. Her face was drawn and stressed, her skin pallid and dark circles had formed under her eyes. He hadn't seen her eat all day and her pace had lagged in the last few hours, "Is Grant the only one who is feeling sick?" Mulder wanted to know, testing her stubborn resolve.

The focus in Scully's eyes softened and he could see that they both knew what he meant. He could also see that he had hit the nail on the head, "No." She admitted, and it looked as if she was admitting to murder.

"What do you think it is?" He asked, now that they had reached an understanding that Grant wasn't the only one.

"I don't know. DiNozzi seems to be the least effected, although he was complaining of a headache earlier. It must have been something in the laboratory." She said, glad to separate herself from the problem and focus indirectly on it.

"I don't feel anything." Mulder pointed out.

"But you weren't gathering samples either." Scully said back immediately, having expected his words.

He nodded, "I think you're right, we need to get back." Mulder's hazel eyes showed deep regret, longing to discover the creature they were now so close to and Scully felt a stab of guilt for holding him back.

"We are too far away now, we'll have to spend another night out here." She added, wearily.

"We'll split the watches between Viste, Bennett, and myself. You, Grant, and DiNozzi ought to rest. I don't want you getting any worse."

"Mulder, I'm fine." She protested, knowing perhaps she shouldn't, "I'm going to check on DiNozzi and Grant." She said, veering him off of the subject of her health once again.


	8. Bigfoot

"We need to go back," Scully approached Bennett, "Grant is too weak to go on."

Overhearing, Grant stood, "I'm alright, really. We can't allow this thing to escape and hurt other people." He said, diplomatically.

"Not at the cost of our lives when we won't succeed anyway," Scully argued, "Look, we have no provisions to continue on and only two handguns. It's unlikely that our small party will be able to find and kill this animal and we must have caught something in that laboratory because our health is declining by the hour." She said, finally allowing it in the open that she was feeling it too.

DiNozzi stood then, nodding and wavering on his feet, "Whatever it is, I must have it as well. We have no chance out here without help. We need to get to a doctor to find out what we have picked up."

"We're not going back yet." Bennett said firmly, "I won't be responsible for the deaths of the people that animal kills because you can't handle a little hike. There is nothing wrong with you." He growled at Scully. She fumed, he was accusing her of lying and weakness and her heart sped up as she prepared for a verbal confrontation that she had no plans on losing. Before Scully could return with a fury laced retort, Mulder stepped in.

With the regret of having to give up well hidden, he said, "Yes, we are going back. Right now." His calm but stern voice stunned everyone to silence.

Bennett eyed the gun at Mulder's side and nodded, "The deaths will be on your head then." He spat, walking away to speak to Viste.

Scully gave Mulder a grateful glance but said nothing. Scully insisted that Grant and DiNozzi take a seat and allow her to look them over. There was not much she could do really, except give them aspirin, which she took herself. Grant was burning up with fever and she was sure now that leaving was the right decision. If they stayed, the deaths that Bennett seemed so concerned over would be theirs.

* * *

The trek back was proving to be more difficult for Scully by the minute. Her breath always seemed short and she was struggling to keep up. Angry and frustrated at this weakness, she became snappish and irritable. She refused to fall behind, however, not wanting Mulder to think for a moment that she was too ill to go on. It was easy to hide when her own health was completely outdone by Grant, it was all he could do to put one foot in front of the other. Their slow movement concerned Mulder, who watched the trees suspiciously, starting at every moving branch and rustling sound. If they were attacked now, Mulder wondered if Bennett and Viste would rush to help. Praying they weren't being stalked, he hoped very much to avoid that scenario.

They stopped often until they reached the laboratory once again. DiNozzi spoke up quickly, "We need to figure this out." He said, "We're not getting back before dark anyway, I vote we stay here and try and look further into what they were researching. As much as Mulder hated the thought of spending the night among a pile of dead bodies, he had to agree.

"There is only about an hour of light left anyway," He pointed out, "We'll stay here." He had become the unofficial leader simply because his opposition had won with Bennett. It was a shaky truce however, since Bennett kept looking at Mulder's gun. He was relieved to see that at least Scully and DiNozzi seemed less effected by whatever was ailing Grant.

* * *

It was full dark by the time DiNozzi and Scully had emerged from the laboratory, both looking exhausted. Mulder was giving water to an ailing Grant when he looked up. His brow bunched, but he said nothing of their appearance, guessing that Scully was not likely to appreciate his hovering concern. There was little he could do anyway, besides annoy her with his worry.

"Find anything useful." He asked, trying to keep his eyes off of her, knowing they were laced with concern.

"I'll say." DiNozzi said, sitting on a log near their fire, "There is very little chemical data to work with, but we found some noted data. It seems this laboratory was dedicated to gene studies."

Grant perked up, listening and trying to hide his headache.

"They had some pretty amazing breakthroughs," Scully admitted, sitting on the ground and leaning her back against the log, "They were working with the systems that control memory. The Dopaminergic and glutamatergic systems are critical in memory and therefore learning. They observed an apparent epistatic interaction of these two genes on the engagement of prefrontal cortex during working memory. These receptors in humans are very apparent and active."

"But, in animals, they have the same synapsis, rarely growing from what instinct already tells them." DiNozzi interjected, "Apes have great working memory, but, in layman's terms, these guys made it better, genetically more like a human's."

He handed the notes sheet to Grant, who studied it a few moments, "According to this, a gorilla named Butch had more synapsis than his human counterpart."

That gave Mulder pause, "You mean the gorilla was processing more memory function than a human?"

"That's how it appears," Scully answered.

"This is no ordinary gorilla either," DiNozzi put in, "He was genetically bred here in this laboratory specifically for this experiment. His DNA is essentially the same as any gorilla, but branches off at critical points to create something slightly different, a kind of missing link type creature."

"Bigfoot." Mulder said, gaping.


	9. Stalking

Mulder had decided not to trust Viste or Bennett with their watches that night, so he sat awake by the fire, his gun in his lap as he watched the flames. Scully, Grant, and DiNozzi had fallen asleep hours ago, barely able to keep their eyes open. His gut twisted in guilt, knowing that the three of them would not be in this condition had he not dragged them out here. He couldn't deny that the fruits of their investigation were intriguing to say the least and, his thoughts, once again, turned to the gorilla like creature. Did they know what they were making? Was this research supposed to eventually be meant for humans? The questions haunted him as his eyes crawled over the ground, taking in little details in an attempt to stay awake. They rested on Scully again, the light dancing over her face. This was different, however. She was in obvious discomfort and Mulder sighed, once again the guilt swarming over his body taking on the physical ailments of an upset stomach.

In the woods, the bipedal gorilla waited and stalked. People. Hate. More torture. More Pain. Kill and be safe.

There were noises everywhere, so it was difficult to tell what could be dangerous and what was harmless. He knew that the gorilla was not the only dangerous animal, but most bears and cougars would be put off by a fire and so far, none had been sighted. However, what he heard next was the sound of something weighty stepping on a thick branch and breaking it. Mulder stood, the cracking waking up his partner as well.

"What is it?" she mouthed and he pointed to his right, where he had heard the sound. Scully slipped silently out of her sleeping bag and donned her gun. Her breath rose up visibly in the cold air and she strode forward silently, covering Mulder as he sought out the source of the noise. He was going deeper and darker than she liked, "Mulder." She called him back, not wanting him to be caught by surprise in the dark.

A shout of terror and pain filled the air and both agents' head snapped back to their campsite. Scully was closer and rushed forward, Mulder hot on her heels. In moments they arrived to a gory scene. The genetically altered gorilla was clawing at DiNozzi's face while the biologist flailed in an attempt to save himself. Grant had emerged from sleep but was obviously worse than before as he stood on wobbly legs, looking grabbing for a stick in the fire. He wielded it and jabbed into the air toward the creature when Scully took careful aim and shot. The gorilla staggered back with a roar and its fierce eyes connected with his assailant. Leaping over the wounded DiNozzi, he charged at Scully. Steady and standing her ground, Scully shot twice more before Mulder's gun joined hers. There were shouts and action beyond their target as Viste and Bennett joined them, but both agents stayed focused. The animal covered the distance between them in seconds and both agents backed away, making calculated shots as the gorilla began to slow down, crawling towards them.

The ape seemed to be still after a moment and Mulder let out the breath he was holding. Scully was about to do the same when the attack recharged, the gorilla flew forward, tackling Scully's legs. She hit the ground hard on her back and shot once more, rendering the gorilla limp and dead. Breathing hard, she dare not move, as if it might wake the aggressive animal up once again. She guessed that moving wouldn't be possible anyway as the enormous animal had her pinned to the ground.

"Are you hurt?" Mulder was asking, kneeling.

"I don't think so." She answered, "Just help me get it off."

Despite his illness, Grant rushed over and he and Mulder hauled what they estimated to be three hundred and fifty pounds off of Scully. Turning it on its back, they all stared down at what, by all outward appearances, looked like nothing other than Bigfoot.

* * *

DiNozzi's face had been battered but Scully guessed that he might make a full recovery as long as they reached a hospital soon. Scully had bandaged him up as best she could with the First Aid kit that Viste had offered her. She understood and shared Mulder's excitement at the evidence that they had in hand, but she was more concerned with the wounded and sick men she had in front of her. Once again, it came down to her practicality versus his need for the truth.

"We have no way to carry it, Mulder and we may need to carry Grant before too long." She pointed out. She was thankful that her own condition seemed no worse and wondered about the how, "Besides that, DiNozzi needs medical attention."

"Actually, I think I may have found something on that front." Grant said, emerging from the laboratory again, "I can walk alright. I have been back inside and found some motrin and what was noted as a vaccine of some sort. I would like to try it out."

"Grant-" Scully began, her voice and face doubtful.

"Apparently, there was an outbreak of some sort among the animals, from what I can tell from the notes you and DiNozzi found. The scientists developed a vaccine that they took themselves to prevent and cure early cases. It all fits, our symptoms and this vaccine." He said, clearly convinced.

Mulder gauged Scully's face and could still see doubt, but it was lessening as Grant spoke, "Read the notes, Scully, you're a medical doctor, you can certainly determine for yourself whether or not I'm right."

This seemed to ease her concern and Grant handed her the papers. Her keen blue eyes began to pour over the information and she nodded after a few minutes, "The vaccine actually holds nothing that would harm us even if we didn't have whatever broke out in this lab." She reported, "It's fairly weak and would probably have few side effects, if any."

"That's the conclusion that I had as well. I think it's a good bet and we ought to use it. There are more than enough. Agent Mulder was inside, he should take it too." Grant suggested.

After making the application as sanitary as possible, everyone was soon equipped with the vaccine and Scully hoped that this might be the answer to their problems.

* * *

They set out soon, knowing that they would reach the compound again before nightfall if they kept a steady to slow pace. Mulder allowed them to leave the body behind after taking hair samples, but vowed that he would come back the next day for it. They had little enough to eat, but seemingly plenty to drink. If something could be said about Viste and Bennett, they had taken no chances at dehydration and supplied water for the remainder of the hike.

DiNozzi needed to be guided and Grant, Mulder, and Scully took turns assisting him. Scully was hopeful about the vaccine, already feeling improvement on her condition. Grant seemed to be having a slower recovery, but was determined not to slow them up. It was a long arduous trek, but everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief when the tops of the cabins came into view.


	10. Discovery

Author's note: I realize this story is little slower, but it picks up now. This is for all of you who thought you had it figured out. ;) Thanks for reading and, as always, reviews are like candy!

* * *

As much as Scully tried to put him to bed immediately, Grant assured her that he was well enough to help himself. They were all famished but Scully found that her appetite had not returned. Grant ate heartily, which she was glad for. DiNozzi seemed to be suffer from the same loss of appetite as Scully and picked at his food. They had all agreed that Viste and Bennett should not be the ones to call for medical attention, so Grant assured them that he would do it. He volunteered in a friendly fashion to put the two guides at ease and walked off slowly to the main cabin to use the radio. He returned a short time later and explained that he had asked for assistance and a medical team promised to come in first thing in the morning. Scully and Mulder headed back to the cabin first, both dragging and weary. With seemingly record speed, Mulder had a fire going and his sleeping bag laid out.

"Are you not going to shower, Mulder, you smell bad." She warned him with a smile, gathering some clean clothing.

Mulder grunted in response as he settled into his sleeping bag, burying his head. Scully's smile widened when Mulder's dirt caked boots were shoved out of the top of his sleeping bag without once revealing her partner.

A short lived wave of nausea came over her and she sighed, wondering if she really truly improving. Guilt came with it as well, Mulder had been forced to turn back on a finding of a lifetime . With another sigh, she tried to push these feelings aside and looked forward to being in Mulder's position in her own sleeping bag. Not before a shower, she thought, feeling grimy.

It was full dark by the time she came back outside to trudge tiredly to the shower rooms. Groaning inwardly, she realized that she still couldn't read the writing that would lead her to the correct shower rooms. Why couldn't they just make things easy and use the stick figures with a skirt, she thought. Blowing out a frustrated breath, she shrugged and simply chose, veering off to the left. No one was in sight and, as far as she knew, she would be alone inside anyway.

The heat within the showers covered her chilled skin and she took a soothed breath. She was tired of being cold and filthy. She undressed quickly, ignoring the goose bumps that covered her body despite the warmth. The scorching water felt wonderful as it ate through the many layers of dirt and sweat. She scrubbed her body clean and swiped soap through her red hair and then fought between wanting to linger in the therapeutic hot water and steam or hurry to bed. Eventually exhaustion won over and she turned the shower head off. Wrapping the rough towel around her small body, she picked up her clean clothes, a pair of khakis and a flannel, both more than comfortable enough to sleep in, when she heard voices coming closer, men's voices.

"Damn." She whispered, knowing that she had chosen the wrong shower and hoping that it wasn't Bennett or Viste.

"Scully will continue to weaken as will DiNozzi, but Mulder hasn't ingested any. He may be a problem." When Scully made out the voice, she swayed on her feet. It was Grant's voice, all signs of weakness and illness gone. Scully threw herself to the ground, hiding behind the wooden shower stall, incredulous to what she was hearing.

The next voice she heard came from a walkie talkie that Grant held to his ear, "What about the guides?"

"After everyone left the dining area, I followed them to their cabin. Viste is dead and I drugged Bennett, he is incapacitated in his cabin now. I knew you wanted to question one as to the source of your leak. Everyone else is asleep." Grant explained, making Scully's heart pound so hard she was sure Grant would hear.

"Mulder is armed and healthy, I will need some help here." Grant argued heatedly.

"I have some people in route, they should be there soon. Make sure it looks as they were just lost in the forest, I don't want an investigation."

"Yessir." Grant answered and Scully couldn't make out what the man over the radio said next.

"Interesting proposal, I think it's a good idea. Why let them go to waste?" Was Grant's answer to it however.

A trickle of water began to drip down from Scully's hair into her eye and she brushed it away as the implications of what she was hearing swam through her head, pushing her toward panic. The one repercussion above all was the poison, had she and DiNozzi taken enough to kill them? However she would never find this out if she was unable to leave her unnoticed.

Thankfully, Grant turned off his radio and turned on a shower, drowning out any noise she might make to him. Pulling on her clothing, she carefully crawled past Grant's stall, holding her breath and praying. Getting to her feet once she had made it out of the door, she began to breathe again, ragged and desperate. She could only manage a jog to the cabin in which a sleeping Mulder was about to get a jarring wake-up call.


	11. Control

"Mulder." Scully knelt by his sleeping bag, "Wake up."

Mulder stirred, but sensed the urgency in her voice. Pulling himself into a sitting position, he emerged from the bag.

"Mulder, we've been set up. Grant is not who you think he is. He works for whoever has been hiding the experiment that made that creature. I overheard him talking on the radio, he has been poisoning DiNozzi and I."

"How?"

"The tea I assume." She said, remembering that Grant had, in what seemed like a polite gesture, served up lunch to her, DiNozzi and Mulder. "He said he's killed Viste and drugged Bennett. We don't have much time, Mulder, I heard him calling for backup."

Mulder let all of this sink in, and with a sickening realization, took in his partner with new eyes. It all fell together, her difficulty during the hike, her loss of appetite, and even now as he looked into her unusually dull blue eyes, it was apparent that something was seriously wrong.

He allowed himself a wave of panic before pulling himself together, "What kind of poison?"

"I don't know, I only heard enough to know that none of us were supposed to come back out of that forest."

"We got too close…"

"And they can't let us live and spread their little secret." Scully finished.

Mulder was shoving his boots back onto his feet and pulled his gun out of his pack. He pulled himself to his feet and his body reminded him how weary he was. He didn't let it show as he knelt beside DiNozzi's sleeping bag and nudged him, "DiNozzi, wake up."

DiNozzi didn't move and Mulder's hazel eyes looked up at Scully. She didn't need him to tell her what he thought and she took a place beside Mulder and put her fingers against DiNozzi's neck. Her eyes closed tightly as she shook her head.

"Damnit." Mulder swore, standing again. Mulder's head was spinning. DiNozzi lay dead at his feet with Scully more than likely to soon follow. He did his best to push away the awful implications that jarred though him, "How do you feel?"

Scully stood beside him, her face stone, "Good enough to stick my gun in someone's face for some answers." She told him, arming herself. Even as she said it, she was hit with another wave of nausea and she swallowed several times to control it.

Just as she was about to walk out, Mulder stood in front of her, his face full of mixed emotions, but gravity stood out first, "You're the doctor, and I'm depending on you to tell me the truth about your condition." He began, his voice stern, "I don't want you coming with me if you don't think you're able."

She regarded him evenly, forcing her voice to come out strong and sure, "I have no way of knowing when this poison will take full effect, but I'm not going to just lie down and die, not while I can still fight."

That seemed to satisfy him somewhat, as he nodded and headed out the cabin door with her beside him.

"He was in the showers," Scully told him, and the only response that confirmed that he had heard was a change in course from the main cabin toward the showers.

They caught him just coming out, his hair wet and his clothes fresh. Mulder wasted no time and pointed his gun at Grant's face getting the desired effect of his wide eyed silence. He seemed calm for having his life threatened, however, which unnerved Scully as she wondered where his confidence came from.

"What the hell is going on?" Mulder demanded.

"What are you doing, Agent Mulder?" Grant's composed voice surprised Mulder.

"Don't try to bullshit me, what kind of poison is it?" Mulder demanded, trying to address the most immediate problem first.

"Think about what you're doing, Agent Mulder. If shoot me, I can't tell you what kind of poison. Even if I decide to be silent, you won't kill me. I'm the only one who knows and you can't risk it." He smiled, dropping all pretense that he was still the mild mannered Geneticist that he pretended to be.

"Wrong, that just makes it so I have nothing to lose." Mulder pushed his gun against Grant's temple, "And a death threat is not the only way to get information."

Scully knew that Mulder was rash when he felt that the priorities of human life were over protocol, but she knew the consequences if he were to use the means he implied to gain the information he needed and that frightened her almost as much as her unknown time limit. She imagined his arrest if he were to use torture on an American citizen and already knew the preordained outcome. Mulder would never convince any jury that they had run into a Bigfoot-like creature and been threatened by a secret government agent. There had to be another way.

To Mulder, there was no choice. Whatever it took, however it happened, the end was more important than the means. If he had to start shooting kneecaps, he was prepared to do so and to hell with penalties. His partner's life was in danger and, of course, she was much more to him than just a partner. By now, she must know that and also know that he would go beyond what was allowed in law to protect her.

"You won't get far with that course of action, Agent Mulder." Grant warned, "I'm afraid both your lives are in my hands."

Scully was more and more uneasy about Grant's relaxed composure, but she kept her gun trained and never allowed her uncertainty to show. Grant needed to believe that Mulder would hurt him if he didn't give them what they wanted, mostly because Mulder would hurt him.

Just then the cold barrel of another gun was aimed right at Mulder's head and Scully whirled around to face the new threat. The stranger was tall, blonde, and tan and cocked his gun with a sneer, "Drop it Agent Scully, or I give the order to blow hi head off." Grant told her. After a tense moment of decision, Scully slowly put her gun on the ground, her hands out and flat in surrender. Three more burly men arrived and wrestled Mulder into submission, apprehending his gun.

"Tie them." Grant ordered.

"Why keep us alive, why not just shoot us?" Mulder asked, struggling futilely against their captors.

Scully had wondered the same thing but dare not voice it and remind Grant that he wanted them dead.

"It has been delightfully suggested that you be kept alive. Animals are not our only subjects, Agent Mulder." Grant smiled, "Why allow a perfectly healthy person go to waste?"

That shut Mulder up quickly. He was the only healthy one of the two of them, but he was hardly willing to allow attention be brought to the fact that Scully may not live out the day and keeping her alive was probably more trouble than it was worth to these men. Grant smiled over Mulder, making it obvious that they were thinking the same thing, "We'll see how long she lasts." He winked.

One of the unnamed men that followed Grant's orders forced Scully's hands behind her back. She could feel rough rope binding her wrists together as she watched them do the same to Mulder.

"Lock them in the larger cabin, make sure they stay there." Grant barked.

Just then a lightheaded wave hit Scully again with such a force that she swayed on her feet and her captor had to hold her up, "Sir?" He said, unsure of what to do with her.

"Scully!" Mulder attempted to pull away from his imprisoner as Scully appeared to lose consciousness. He yanked himself free, but was tackled. Punch after punch slowed him down until he was on the ground, bleeding from his nose and mouth.

Scully was dimly aware of Mulder's voice and the fight before everything went black.


	12. Unfeasible

There was a deep sound reverberating in her ears, a soft sensation on her brow, and a rough contact on her cheek. The world began to focus and Scully heard Mulder's deep voice.

"Scully."

She felt his five o' clock shadow scraped up against her cheek, attempting to make her come to as his hair brushed her brow.

"Scully."

Mulder breathed a sigh of relief when Scully's blue eyes opened. On his knees, his hands fastened securely behind his back, he was leaned over nudging her face with his own. He leaned back now, waiting for her to come to completely.

Scully's medical mind took in Mulder's injuries. It was nothing she hadn't seen before on her partner. Mulder took his licks in their investigations and it was obvious now that he had taken quite a few more this time around. His lip was split, there was a cut over the bridge of his nose and marks littered his face from various punches he had received. She tried to rise, but found her hands were bound like his. Pulling herself into a sitting position, her eyes found DiNozzi's body, reminding her all too well their current situation.

"How long have I been out?" she asked, trying to ignore his apprehensive hazel eyes bearing into her.

"About an hour." Mulder reporting, taking the cue that she did not want to be fussed over, "Grant came in once, gave you a shot I think."

"You think?" Scully's voice was thick and her mouth suddenly felt dry.

Mulder nodded, remembering the scene. Grant had come in and made his way toward Scully. Mulder had charged him, putting himself in between them. He was promptly tackled by several of the uniformed men who took Grant's orders, "I was a little busy getting my ass kicked and didn't have the best view." He told her, "I saw him take your arm though, and it looked like he gave you a shot."

Scully looked away troubled by the fact that Mulder had taken this beating to try and protect her and, even while he was receiving it, had tried to keep an eye on her. She swallowed, gauging her condition and feeling little to no difference. Maybe the fact that she didn't feel worse was a good thing; maybe the shot had been to aid her. Aid her so that she could take part in the experiments that had made the genetically enhanced gorilla. She closed her eyes against the fearful thought that they would be used like guinea pigs, "Got any bright ideas?" She asked him, half joking and half hopeful.

"Well, I thought of a plan that is unfeasible at best and a death wish at worst." He reported, giving her a small smile.

Scully lay on her side and began to pull her feet up behind her back, maneuvering them through the loop of her arms. Mulder watched her contort with unabashed fascination let out a sound of admiration when she threaded her legs through and ended up with her bound hands in front of her.

"That makes my plan slightly more feasible," He said.

Motioning for him to turn around, she began to work at the knots around his wrists with her bloodless fingers, "What exactly is this plan?"


	13. Survival

Mulder made several fists with both hands in an attempt to get the circulation going again before working out the knots that held his partner. He had explained the plan in the long arduous moments that it took her to release him and she had added her own thoughts, making him somewhat hopeful that they might live out this day. His task was much easier than hers had been and he gently pulled off the last of the rope. Her eyelids fell in relief as she rubbed her wrists.

Mulder lowered his body and pulled himself to the window, just high enough to see the compound, "It looks clear enough to give it a shot." He reported, looking back. Scully nodded apprehensively and Mulder made his way toward their guarded door. Scully hauled up one of the logs meant for the fireplace and tossed it at the window, shattering it. They both knew the risks of making so much noise, but time was running out.

"What's going on in there?" Mulder recognized the voice as one of his aggressors, the one that had punched him the side of the head, he recalled.

The door opened, just as they had wanted and Mulder waited, knowing the man would recognize Scully as attempting to escape and make an attempt to stop her. Mulder would make sure he never got close. Just as predicted, the tall man connected eyes with his partner and shouted for her to stop. He rushed inside where Mulder tackled him. Returning the favor, Mulder dealt a few punches to the man's head, rendering him unconscious. At least he obtained a weapon, he thought, pulling the glock from the man's hand and showing it to Scully.

She nodded, closing the door softly after checking their surroundings, "We should go now." He was behind her in a moment, "I still think I should go in." He said, his voice hard.

"Mulder," She gave him a cool look, "I'm fine, you'll be more useful where I said."

He twisted his mouth, but nodded and without another words, they crouched low, opened the door and began to make their way across the compound. When they reached Viste and Bennett's cabin without incident, Mulder opened the door silently only to find another man standing guard inside. Not willing to use the gun and alert everyone to their position, he simply pointed it, "Not a word." He commanded.

The man nodded, swallowing, "Give me your gun," Scully ordered and he did it without hesitation. Mulder almost smiled at the fact that they were now both armed as Scully had always proven to be an excellent shot. She put the gun in into the lip of her pants and rushed toward Bennett, who was lying awake in a heap on the floor in front of what she assumed were he and Viste's cots, and began to untie him.

"Agent Scully?" He said, looking confused, "They said you were dead."

"Well, I'm not," She said, firmly, pulling off the last rope that held him.

"They told me that he was in on it." He motioned toward Mulder, and Scully looked sharply at Bennett, her blue eyes full of warning.

"He's not." She said, this time very firmly.

He took the hint not to pursue it further, but kept a watchful eye on Mulder anyway as he got to his feet.

"We need to make sure this guy doesn't tell anyone we're on the loose." Mulder pointed out. Scully had already begun to approach the guard to tie him and he seemed cooperative enough, putting his hands behind him.

"We need to kill him." Bennett argued.

"No." Mulder shook his head, "We need to leave undetected and I don't plan on killing anyone that I don't have to."

"I won't make any noise, just don't kill me." The guard pleaded and Bennett turned on him with fiery eyes, "You bastards were going to torture me and kill them." He growled, "You deserve to die."

"That may be," Mulder interjected, "But if we want to make it out of here alive, then we can't be firing guns just because we're angry. I just want to stay alive right now, Bennett and we need to go now."

Scully pulled the rope tight and came out from behind the much taller man her blue eyes went from one man to the other, "We don't have time to argue about it, He stays here, he stays alive." Her head was feeling light again and it was all she could do not to waver on her feet, "Sit down." She told the guard and he obeyed immediately. Looking around, she knelt down to get a rag that she saw on the floor and noticed a body covered in blankets beneath one of the cots.

"That's Viste." Bennett said with clenched teeth, "They murdered him."

Scully came up with the rag and before she could do with it what she had intended, Bennett took it from her and roughly shoved it into the guard's mouth. He also balled up a fist and hit the man in the eye. Scully wasn't going to begrudge him that anyway, as it had been her intention to silence him as well, although she may not have been so harsh. The three of them having reached a rocky understanding, they gathered by the door, "What now, fearless leader?" Bennett asked Mulder.

With his gun, Mulder pointed out the window to the means of their survival.


	14. All In Good Time

The jeep was parked several hundred yards away across the compound and all three of them looked at it longingly, "I don't suppose you have keys for that?" Mulder asked Bennett.

"The keys should be in it," Bennett offered, helpfully, "We shared the jeep and it's not like anyone was going to steal it way out here this time of year."

Mulder nodded, "You're driving then. Agent Scully and I will cover our way over there. We need to hurry before we lose our chance."

Bennett nodded and opened the door, "No time like the present." He said, jogging across the compound, crouching low all the way. Scully heard a shout behind her and winced. Don't look back, she thought, if they made it to the jeep, they might have enough of a lead to get away.

"Grant!" There were more shouts and now all three of the escapees were sprinting. Scully knew she was slowing Mulder down as he ran behind her, but her head began to swim and her legs felt like lead. She pushed, running out of breath as the world began to spin. Not now, she thought, you can't pass out now. She kept Bennett's back in focus, following it despite the fact that it felt like she was running in circles.

Mulder watched as Scully's hustle became noticeably slower and less beelined. He looked behind him to see some of Grant's men emerging from the food hall. He fired two shots in their direction, hoping they would think twice and take cover. When he turned back to Scully however, Grant flew out of nowhere and tackled her to the ground. Mulder practically tripped on their fallen bodies, but used his force to descend on Grant. Scully scrambled away from the wrestling men, and got back on her feet, her gun poised toward the fight.

Grant grabbed Mulder's arm, preventing him from using the gun and the two continued to struggle for power of the weapon. Scully aimed over and over again, but the brawl was moving and changing so fast that she was sure she'd hit Mulder if she fired with her blurry sight. Two arms rose in the air, Mulder's hand still grasping the gun as Grant's hand gripped Mulder's wrist. Scully aimed one last time and fired, hitting Grant's arm. Blood exploded in the opposite direction of the bullet and Grant's hollered out in agony. Helpless now, he curled his body around his injured arm as Mulder shoved himself off of the ground to stand beside his partner. Catching his breath, Mulder was surprised to hear Scully hit the ground beside him and knelt down just as bullets came flying their way.

"Scully." He said, gathering her in his arms. She was out, he thought, worriedly as the jeep came flying up beside him, Bennett behind the wheel, "Get the bloody hell in!" He shouted at them and Mulder felt a rush of gratitude that he didn't leave them. Not wanting to waste time, Mulder simply pulled himself in the front seat with an unconscious Scully in his lap.

The bullets continued to rain down and Bennett whirled the jeep around and floored the gas pedal. On foot, Grant's people had no chance to catch up and Mulder breathed a sigh of relief when the shots slowly quieted.

"She alright?" Bennett asked, when he felt they were out of harm's way.

"She's alive." Was all Mulder said, not knowing the actual answer to Bennett's question, "We need a hospital." His hazel eyes ran over his partner with concern, but she showed no signs of waking, her head lay inert against his chest.

Bennett sighed, "All in good time." He said, quietly as they continued down the dirt road toward civilization.


	15. Prussian Blue

Bennett looked nervously behind him, glancing at Mulder meaningfully shaking his head. Mulder had the same odd feeling, but he couldn't succumb to it, not when his partner's life was hanging by a thread. Scully's small form still lay in his lap unconscious and Mulder hadn't the first clue on how to help her.

"It's weird, you know?" Bennett said, suddenly, "This was all so secret, so protected, why are they just letting us walk away? No chase? They could, you know."

Mulder swallowed, "Maybe they thought twice about offing two FBI agents and hoping it might go unnoticed."

"Naw, it's almost as if they have a back-up plan." He pointed out, looking more and more nervous as they drove, "Like they're not worried about us at all."

Mulder glanced down again at his partner and prayed that Bennett was wrong. However, the guide's words made too much sense to ignore and he began to glance around uncertainly as well.

"They'll expect us to go to the closest hospital, that may be where they plan to run into us again." Bennett concluded.

Mulder's eyes went cold and he looked sharply at Bennett, "We don't get to a hospital soon, she could die."

"If we get to one too soon, we'll _all_ be dead." Bennett argued.

Mulder bit the inside of his mouth hard, tasting blood, "Just drop us off, the two of us. I won't ask you to stay." Mulder said after a long moment.

"Take her to the emergency room and come with me. They'll follow us, maybe they won't even find out she's there."

"I'm not going to do that," Mulder said, calmly. Mulder watched guilt spread over Bennett's face as he mulled over abandoning them. He tried to soften the blow for Bennett, "I brought us all out here,-" He began.

"Alright, you need to get her in there and out," He sighed, "There won't be much time, I'd wager, but I can arrange a car for you outside, drive to the airport, there will be tickets under your name." He offered.

Mulder nodded, "Give me one hour there."

* * *

They reached the hospital in less than an hour from the conversation and Mulder winced at how small it was. Did they really have the capability to save his partner? He hoped so. It worried him that she had yet to wake, but he carried her to the door and demanded attention. Immediately, the staff responded, bringing a gurney near the agents. Almost reluctantly, Mulder placed Scully on the gurney and watched as she was wheeled away. He was rattling off all he knew to the nurse who had approached him first. The woman, almost six inches taller than Scully nodded and followed Scully's gurney into a room down the hall.

It was only twenty minutes before the woman returned, "Sir?"

Mulder, who had his back to the wall, watching each end of the hall carefully, turned toward the sound of the door opening.

"It was a good thing you told us about the shot. We found the substance in the surrounding tissue to be Prussian Blue, a substance used for the treatment in heavy metal poisons. Whoever gave your partner the shot was trying to save her." The nurse explained.

Mulder swallowed, unwilling to tell the nurse why Scully had been kept alive, not going to go into the fact that they were going to be used in experiments for a secret government laboratory. He nodded.

"We think she was poisoned with Thallium, which fits Prussian Blue being an antidote." She continued.

"Then why wasn't she improving if someone was administering an antidote?" Mulder wanted to know.

"She was only given enough to stay alive, not get well again." The nurse explained, obviously very confused, "We have given her a hearty dose, but she'll need to be kept here for a day or so."

Mulder sighed, knowing this was not possible, "May I see her?"

He was showed in and Scully's eyes locked with his, relief spreading over her features. He didn't allow her time to ask how they had gotten away. He came up close and whispered, "We have to get out of here now."

Her ice blue eyes widened, but she did not argue, "Where is here?" she said instead.

"We're still in British Columbia, about fifty miles from the laboratory site. Not far enough."

"Where's Bennett?"

"Securing our safe passage out of here, but we need to get going-" He was cut off by a gunshot and screaming voices. Mulder distinctly pulled out the nurse's voice whom he had spoken with earlier. He turned back to Scully, "Do you need help?"

Scully's feet hit the floor as she shook her head and another gunshot filled the air.


	16. Help

Scully quickly got dressed in her hooded sweat shirt and jeans, all the while the shots got closer and the screams more terrified. The two agents locked eyes, both had traces of panic; they were trapped in this room and had no idea where the danger was on the other side of the door. He cursed himself; in his rush back at the compound, he had not thought to pick up Scully's gun and now was the only one armed. Just before he was about to shove the door open and open fire, Scully went for the window.

"We're only two stories up," She pointed out, obviously unwilling to risk the door. She pulled it open with a grunt and began to slide through, "Mulder." She looked back, "Come on."

He rushed toward her, slipping through the window just as the door opened and bullets began to spray from both sides. Thankfully, Mulder's defense slowed their attackers and the door shut again as abruptly as it opened, more cautious in their aggression. He knew it would not be long before they came through the door again with more guns, more men, and realized that he and Scully had given them the slip. He only hoped they could make it to Bennett's car by then.

Mulder dropped heavily on the grassy ground behind the hospital. His hazel eyes kept running over his partner, checking for signs that she was unable to continue.

"There's a car." He told her, "Bennett said it would be a SUV parked in the far right of the front lot. It has keys in it waiting for us."

Scully nodded and without a word, began to run in the direction Mulder had indicated. Upon rounding the building, they saw several vehicles and three men standing in front, their attention on the front entrance. Mulder swore under his breath and Scully faced him, "There's no time, we need to get to that jeep now. Stay here." Before Mulder could object, she put the hood over her red hair and slowly walked out, obviously trusting that he would cover her if any one of the men caught sight of her. Staying behind vehicles and walking slowly enough so as not to attract attention, she slipped inside the car. Taking a breath of preparation, she started the car and floored the gas, aiming for Mulder. The shouts began at the car's noise and then motion. The men who had been focusing on the main doors now whirled to see the jeep weaving around cars across the lot. They began to cluster toward her, but they had to weave around their own vehicles and Scully had a head start. Reaching Mulder, she slammed on the breaks, allowing him inside. He barely closed the door before she hit the gas again, backing up this time, the way she had come. She had wondered if she should go behind the building, but knew they would be waiting when the jeep emerged from the other side. This was the best way to escape, despite the risk.

Mulder didn't question, only rolled down the window to point and shoot his gun at anyone who got too close. They both heard the windows shatter as bullets flew their way. She hoped the tires were not visible through all of the other vehicles and finally let out the breath she had been holding when she felt her tires hit the arch of the road. Throwing the car into drive, she sped away, watching as men rushed toward their own cars in hopes of pursuit.

"We need to get to the airport." Mulder announced, "But they will probably have predicted that too." He swore again, but grabbed out his phone and dialed.

"Who are you calling?" Scully asked as she drove eighty.

"Hopefully someone who isn't in a tryptophan coma." He commented, putting the phone to his ear. When he heard the familiar voice answer, he closed his eyes and breathed out, "This may disrupt your digestion, but we need some heavy artillery now."


	17. Dinner

Just then, helicopters appeared, splaying vegetation and dust into the air. Mulder attempted to shield Scully from the debris. He saw a figure emerge through the helicopter door through his squinted eyes and pulled out his gun. Mulder turned toward the woods as he saw a flash of white and realized that Grant was flanking them with two other men. Before he could point his gun however, gunshots sprayed from above at Grant who took cover behind a tree. There was no time to think so Mulder pulled Scully to her feet and they both sprinted toward the road.

When Scully realized that the helicopter was actually covering them, she followed Mulder to the road and toward the airport. The helicopter continued to follow them, safeguarding them until they saw the blessed small transport plane that would take them out of Canada.

"Apparently Skinner is still conscious this late into Thanksgiving." Scully commented, having guessed who it was that Mulder called. He smiled down at her as four military officials approached them. They didn't have to be asked twice to get on the plane.

Epilogue

It was late the next day before the agents were in a taxi in Washington. Scully had been seen by a doctor and was in fair health. Mulder could see her eyes drooping as she drifted into sleep beside him. The taxi stopped jerkily in front of her apartment and she invited him inside. He assumed that she would simply want to go to sleep, but came inside anyway, "I suppose your family will have more reason to dislike me now. You missed dinner." He smirked.

"My mother made sure that I got some, though." Scully pulled a large plate and some Tupperware out of her fridge. "Care to join me in a Thanksgiving feast?" She asked, "Freshly microwaved." She said as if to tempt him.

He couldn't help but smile back as he took a place beside her at the counter and helped dish out mashed potatoes onto another plate. Both plates were warmed up and Mulder and Scully sat across from one another at her dining room table and enjoyed what was left of the Scully family Thanksgiving dinner.

* * *

Author's note: Thanks for reading and reveiwing everyone! Hope you enjoyed it. :D


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